Substance Use Harms

Heavy Drinking Episodes

Heavy drinking is defined as four or more drinks within a single event for women, and five or more drinks for men.

In 2017/18, within the Health Unit region, an estimated 24.5% (age-standardized) of persons 19+ years of age met or exceeded the heavy drinking limit at least once a month.

In 2019/2020, within the Health Unit region, an estimated 28.8% (age standardized) of persons 19+ years of age met or exceeded the heavy drinking limit at least once a month. This was significantly higher when compared to Ontario at 17.7%.

Last updated: October 30, 2023

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2019/20

Categories of Drinking Risk

With Canada's new Guidelines on Alcohol and Health released in 2023, formerly Low Risk Drinking Guidelines, highlighted below are the percentage estimates for moderate and high risk levels associated with weekly alcohol consumption.

Across 2015/16, 2017/18 and 2019/2020, in the Health Unit region, 17.0%, 14.0%, and 19.0% respectively, of the legal age persons (age-standardized) reported having 3-6 drinks a week which corresponds to moderate risk with regards to alcohol harms. The 2019/2020 Health Unit region percentage was not statistically different when compared to the Ontario estimate of 14.9%.

High risk alcohol consumption in the Health Unit region for 2015/16, 2017/18, and 2019/2020 was identified as 17.0%, 21.0%, and 20.7% respectively, of legal aged persons (age-standardized) reported having seven or more drinks per week. The 2019/2020 percent estimate was not statistically different when compared to Ontario at 14.8%.

Last updated: October 30, 2023

Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Use page for more detail.

Please see the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s report entitled Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report for more information.

Emergency Department Visits Attributable to Alcohol

In 2021, within the Health Unit region, there were approximately 805 emergency department visits per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized) where the only reason for the visit was alcohol related. This was significantly higher than the provincial rate of 543 visits per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized).

Last updated: October 30, 2023

Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Harms page for more detail.

Hospitalizations Attributable to Alcohol

In 2021, within the Health Unit region, there were approximately 352 hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized) where the only reason for being hospitalized was alcohol related. This was significantly higher than the provincial rate of 211 hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized).

Last updated: October 30, 2023

Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Harms page for more detail.

Community Cannabis Survey

In the fall of 2018, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (NBPSDHU) surveyed residents of Nipissing and Parry Sound districts, aged 16 and older, to learn about their recreational cannabis use, attitudes towards cannabis, and knowledge of harm reduction messages related to cannabis.

View the 8 Key Findings from the 2018 Community Cannabis Survey

Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for all cannabis-related harms

• In 2021, the age-standardized rate of ED visits for all cannabis-related harms in the Health Unit region was statistically significantly higher compared to the Ontario rate (240.1 versus 121.9 visits per 100,000 population, respectively). The rate among 26 to 44 years old in the Health Unit region was almost 2.25 times the rate in Ontario for the same age group.
• In 2021, the age-standardized rate of hospitalization for all cannabis-related harms in the Health Unit region was statistically significantly higher compared to the Ontario rate (106.9 versus 53.8 hospitalizations per 100,000 population, respectively). The rates among 13 to 18 years old, as well as 26 to 44 years old in the Health Unit region were both more than double the rates in Ontario for the same age groups.

Last updated: July 5, 2023

Visit the PHO Snapshots Cannabis Harms page for more detail.

• Smoking data from 2015-2020 was analyzed from the Canadian Community Health Survey.
• From 2017/18 to 2019/20, the number of daily and occasional smokers in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) region has decreased (Table 1).
• Specifically, in 2015/16 and 2017/18, about 2 of every 9 of the age-standardized adult population aged 18 years or older in the Health Unit region was a daily or occasional cigarette smoker. This changed to 1 in 6 for 2019/20.

Table 1. Age-Standardized Percentage (95% CI) of Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Region, 2015 – 2020

*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate
‡Estimate is significantly different from 2019/2020 in the same region
^EEstimate has a high sampling variability and should be interpreted with caution

Last updated: November 1, 2024.

Visit the PHO Snapshots Self-Reported Smoking page for more detail.

Daily Use

On average, an adult daily or occasional smoker in the Health Unit region smoked approximately 15 cigarettes a day in 2019/20, significantly higher compared to the provincial average (Table 2).

Table 2. Age-Standardized Average (95% CI) Number of Cigarettes Smoked Daily by Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Region, 2015 – 2020

*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate

Smoking by age group

• Data from 2015-2018 was combined to analyze daily or occasional smokers by age group and compared to 2019/2020. About a third of the age-standardized population aged 25-44 years smoked daily or occasionally in the Health Unit Region and other Northern Regions, which were both significantly higher compared to about one in five of the population aged 25-44 years in Ontario (Table 3).
• In 2019/2020 the largest proportion of daily or occasional smokers was in the 44-64 age group for both the Health Unit Region and other Northern Regions, approximately 1 in 5 and 1 in 4, respectfully (Table 3).

Table 3. Age-Standardized Percentage (95% CI) of Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Age Group (Time Period) & Region, 2015-2018 Combined and 2019/20

*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate
^EInterpret with caution; the estimate is associated with high sampling variability
U Data does not meet Statistics Canada’s quality standards for this statistical program. Conclusions based on this data will be unreliable and most likely invalid.

Illicit drug use in adults

• Between 2009 and 2012, 51.7% of the adult population in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit region reported using an illegal drug in their lifetime, significantly higher compared to the Ontario age-standardized percentage (40.6%). In other words, about 11% more of the population in the Health Unit region tried an illegal drug.
• Lifetime cannabis use is significantly higher within the Health Unit region (51.4%) compared to Ontario (40.1%). Use of any illicit drug or cannabis during the lifetime is significantly higher among both males and females, 20 to 44 year olds, as well as 45 to 64 year olds in the Health Unit region compared to Ontario.

Visit the PHO Snapshots Cannabis Harms page for more detail.

Illicit drug use among expectant mothers

Visit our Reproductive and Child Health page for information on maternal health.

2018 Report: Morbidity and Mortality (Death)

This report summarizes opioid-related emergency department visits & deaths in the Health Unit region, and makes comparisons to Ontario rates in the overall population and by sex and age group.

Highlights: